What a loaded question. What does success look like? We all strive for it, we all hope to be successful “some day,” but what do we actually mean when we use the word success?
I took some time to review some of the many Creative Spirit interviews I have on Artist Strong and decided to share my understanding of success for the following creatives:
Kindness and mindfulness sound like great things to aim for, no? More important, however, is to listen carefully to yourself and acknowledge what goals you wish to reach.
For Creative Spirit Alex Mill, success means leaving a Buddhist Monastery where he studied for 13 years to bring meditation and mindful connection to people via Kindnessville. What is Alex’s message to his readers? “That there is nothing wrong – with anything, especially themselves.”
For Creative Spirit Hayley Sabella (and a former art student of mine way back in the day 🙂 ), success means acknowledging her love of music and using Kickstarter to raise enough funds to promote and record her first full length album. (Which was funded, with her album realized April 18, 2014).
Or let us take a peek at Creative Spirit Gwenn Seemel, an artist I truly admire. Gwenn loves making art, but success includes educating people on the merits of free culture (how copyright actually hinders creativity).
The irony is, if I return to ask these Creatives Spirits the specific question of: what does success look like to you? the answer could change. Why? Perhaps my summation has missed something important to the individual. In some cases, one or many of their goals may be achieved. And once we reach a goal, we are prone to set more. I bet each and every Creative Spirit I interview would have a different answer as well. Why? Because success is a personal and individual experience.
For Gwenn, success includes encouraging people to embrace a world as free from copyright as possible.
We toy with the word success and toss it around so much it has lost its meaning. It can continue to be an amorphous idea, blurred and distant. Or, we can take the time to reflect and admit what success really means to us as an individual. That is the only success that matters.
In the end, I ask you to consider a better question: What does success look like to you?!
BE COURAGEOUSLY CREATIVE: Do you have an answer to that question? Share in the comments at ArtistStrong, I want to hear about it.
Success is…
1. when I’m financially independent,
2. when the work I do is aligned with my passion and values,
3. when I’m growing every single day,
4. and when I have fulfilling relationships.
I consider myself having 3 main work (work for me is not necessarily something you must get paid for, though that would be ideal). Tuition, blogging, and music. Tuition is there just to financially support the other 2.
I realised recently that no matter what I have in life, if I didn’t at least put in my best effort at becoming excellent at the piano, I wouldn’t be successful. It’s been a long passion of mine but never really got to it for fear that I had no talent. But I know I have to try. I have begun uploading piano videos to YouTube recently.
As for relationships, everyone needs good genuine friends with whom they can share their life’s ups and downs.
Jeremy you have an awesome definition of success. It is refreshing to hear of someone thinking about the whole picture, including and maybe especially relationships, rather than just in terms of “Career.” And rock on about your piano work! Good for you! That’s sounds wonderful. And in align with your definition of success 🙂